Official MLBlog of the Kansas City Royals front office.

Trey Hillman Pregame Media Session

First place and loving it

Manager Trey Hillman was asked about his feelings on being in first place in the Central Division. “It feels great, but it’s a tough road ahead.” Hillman said once teams know what you are capable of, the secret is out. Our secret to holding on will be as follows: consistent pitching, improved hitting, and tightening up the errors in the field.

Tony Pena, Jr.

The Royals infielder will have to undergo surgery to repair a badly broken hand. In the coming weeks it will be very important to see how his hand scars over and hardens. That is an important factor in determining his recovery time as well as his return date. Manager Hillman stated, “We are hoping on 4-6 weeks, not 3 or 4 months.”

Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon has been working out religiously 3-4 hours a day rehabbing his hip injury. Manager Hillman says Alex is attacking this injury like everything else, vigorously and is very dedicated to coming back as soon as possible. With time he will be monitored and evaluated to determine when the third basemen can return to the Royals lineup.

Sticking with Mike

It was made abundantly clear during the interview that starting shortstop Mike Aviles is not going anywhere with regards to losing his position. With Willie Bloomquist playing great baseball, it’s putting pressure on Trey to find a spot for Bloomquist. But that’s the situations winning teams typically find themselves in. “I am not giving up on Mike, he has not played himself out of his position yet,” says Hillman. He went on to say he is not afraid to play Bloomquist, but thinks Aviles is seeing the ball better and is due to break out of this early-season slump.

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